Hearthsong

Origin

Hearthsong is what remains of the ancient language brought by the first human settlers from the world of Hearth. After millennia, not much is left of the ancient tongue. A few ancient songs retain their original words and are said to come from the clansmen's original plane before their forebears stepped through the Door of the World.

Literature

The most common of these songs is a lullaby called 'Maids of Summer'. There are many versions of that song's lyrics throughout Alven, and the tune it is sung to has changed over the centuries. Here is the Farden version of the song. The one that Flo's mother would sing to her on a windy winter night by The Icy Sretch.

Maids in Summer 



Maiden of May, maidens of summer 
Upon every hill, down in every valley 
Pretty girls, dressed in white 
We brought the summer with us 
Summer, summer, milk's in the pail
We brought summer with us 
The yellow summer with the daisies 
We brought summer with us 
We brought summer with us from the grove 
We brought summer with us 
The yellow summer with the blue skies 
We brought summer with us 

Another popular children's song also has many variants. 'There was an old man' is a funny short ditty said and sung on a particular rhyming beat, which has been picked up within the last century to write satirical verses of a different bawdy kind. Here is a Farden version of the original:

There is an old man ...


There was an old man named Satchel Milligan. 
He grew whiskers on his chin-a-gan.
The wind came along and blew them in again.
Poor old Satchel Milligan, begin again.

n Farden, there is a fun parting song that is sung among the men who leave the homestead to bring the cattle and sheep up the green pastures of the mountains. It is in the old tongue, Hearthsong:

Parting 


Of all the times that I've ever had
I have spent it in good company 
And all the harm that I've ever done  
It was to none but me 
And all I’ve done for want of wit 
I can’t recall for sure.
So fill the parting glass for me
And back I will be so soon
You will never forget me.

Geographic Distribution, Relevance

Hearthsong can be heard in songs mainly in the north of Alven. Northern clans are among the most traditional societies of Alven. Clans have passed down these few words from one generation to another. 

Skolers have lately taken an interest in Hearthsong and language historians, mainly among The Sanctuary seers, have dedicated their studies to the origin of languages in Alven. One such historian has become quite well-known in the learned circles by publishing a book: 'On the Strange Origin of Alven Languages'. 

Magne Shortpick distinguishes in his book three major influences in the present Alven tongue: Hearthsong, Alvian (the language of the Ancestors) and even some evident influence from The Encrors, The Staynes' complex idioms. The last influence has proven to be a controversial topic despite the unmistakable resemblance of the Alven tongue with Stayneon, especially from a grammatical point of view. 

The correlations between Alvenian and Stayneon suggest a time when the two cultures were closer than they are now. The Staynes are well-known for being highly secretive and rarely leave their mountain dwellings nowadays.